Ghost Story

“A summer read rec for anyone going through Widow's Bay withdrawal: This hulking, creepy book traces how a cadre of malevolent supernatural beings come to haunt a ho-hum Californian novelist and The Chowder Society, a group of old men who live in the same small town in upstate New York. Since one of their number kicked the bucket, The Chowder Society has gathered to tell each other ghost stories, but they all share a secret that makes the spookiest tales pale in comparison. SURPRISE: It is the secret that comes back to haunt them (literally). There are some fabulous atmospherics—notably, oppressive, ominous, incessant snow—and a true sense of "wtf is happening" for the first chunk of the book, but Straub ultimately goes the Stephen King route of making the evil explainable (and, thus, a little ridiculous and unsatisfying—think: possessed car! Giant spider! Telekinesis!) which lets most of the air out of the fear balloon. I did find myself looking over my shoulder coming up the basement stairs at night after I finished reading it, though. Fun fact: This is by Emma Straub's dad (novelist + proprietor of BOOKS ARE MAGIC).”